Let’s wipe the stereotype!

Does the European Union cost too much?

The European budget is modest: it represents about 155 billions of euros per year, which is less than the annual national budget of several Member States (the one in Belgium for instance was about 155 billions of euros in 2016). This means that each Member States participate at a level of 1% of its GDP. It is also estimated that every European citizen contributes to about 85 cents of euros every day to the EU budget.

The budget of the European Union provides an economy of scale, namely: it is this budget that allows the European Union to finance large projects a Member State alone could not develop by itself. For instance, the Juncker plan, which plans to invest 500 billions of euros in the digital field and the energy transition, is helping the development of these sectors but also aims at creating about 1,3 billions of work until 2018.

The European budget allows the European Union to act for more than half a billion of European citizens in the 28 Member States.

EU - financed projects provide positive economic impacts for every Member States. For instance, 1/3 of the budget is dedicated to the regional policy, which aims at helping the development of European regions by sustaining them with programmes such as ERDF (European Regional Development Fund). This programme promotes a balanced development in different European regions by investing in innovation, research, digital agenda, support for small and medium-sized enterprises and low carbon economy.

The budget allows the financing of European programmes (Erasmus +, Horizon 2020, Europe Creative, Europe for Citizens), thus helping millions of students, researchers, companies, cities, regions. I.e. : "Erasmus +” contributes to the mobility and reduction of youth unemployment by offering to more than 4 millions of Europeans the possibility to study, train, to gain knowledge and experience and to volunteer abroad.

The budget allows the financing of European programmes (Erasmus +, Horizon 2020, Europe Creative, Europe for Citizens), thus helping millions of students, researchers, companies, cities, regions. I.e. : "Erasmus +” contributes to the mobility and reduction of youth unemployment by offering to more than 4 millions of Europeans the possibility to study, train, to gain knowledge and experience and to volunteer abroad.

The budget allows the financing of European programmes (Erasmus +, Horizon 2020, Europe Creative, Europe for Citizens), thus helping millions of students, researchers, companies, cities, regions. I.e. : "Erasmus +” contributes to the mobility and reduction of youth unemployment by offering to more than 4 millions of Europeans the possibility to study, train, to gain knowledge and experience and to volunteer abroad.